by B D Repa

Created on: May 21, 2007   Last Updated: May 22, 2007

There are several things a parent can do to aid their child with homework. An important factor to remember is that you know your child better than anyone else. Keep this in mind when deciding where and when your child will complete his or her homework.

Have your child do homework in one spot that is comfortable to work in and free from distraction. A table or desk will work best. Make sure that there is plenty of room in which to work, a crowded computer desk is not a good place. The child will be much more relaxed and better able to work if they have a little room to spread out their books and papers.

What constitutes a distraction varies by child. For example, my older child does better with his homework while listening to music, my younger does worse. While it may not seem fair, I allow the older child to listen to music while doing homework and not the younger. When the younger child realized that he did better with his homework without music (yes, that realization took a while) he stopped complaining about it being unfair.

When' is just as important as where' when it comes to homework. If you feel that your child needs to burn off some energy before starting homework then by all means let them run around a bit. It may take some trial and error, but figure out when your child is best able to focus. It seems like all of us have too much to do in a day, but try not to schedule your child's homework time by when it is most convenient for you. Rearrange your nightly routine to be close at hand while your child completes their homework.

With high school age children you can see what type of homework they have before they start. Show them that you are interested in what they are doing and let them know that you are willing and available to help them. If they have questions you can't answer that is okay, you can encourage them to get extra help from a teacher. Plus, they may not feel bad about themselves for not understanding something if you don't understand it either. Even better, they may be able to teach you something about what they are learning. It is a wonderful thing for a child when they realize they may know more about a subject than their parents. This can be quite an incentive for them to work harder in their studies.

With younger elementary school children you may want to sit with them while they complete their homework. Find something to do while they are working, such as read, that is not distracting to them. This way you aren't looking over your child's shoulder (they hate that as much as you do), but are still readily available to answer questions or check their work when they are finished.

The importance of a child's parent(s) in his or her schoolwork cannot be overstated. Children will feel much better about having to do homework when they know you are truly familiar with the effort they are putting into it. It also gives the parent a clear perception of when their child is in need of some extra help in a certain subject. Remember that teachers are responsible for numerous students and cannot necessarily pick out where each individual child is most in need of help in a subject. Any good teacher will welcome your input as long as you present it in a reasonable way. The most important advice is to be as involved in your child's homework as possible without actually doing it for them!

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